Brake pad recommendations for 2006 Boxster S please

[racer_d]

Originally Posted by cerberus

Do you guys think the standard Mintex or Hawk HPS pads will be comparable to the OEM pads? I don't want to spend a lot on replacements and do not plan to track the car.

Thanks

um.. For someone who bought/leased a $60K+ car, you're really worried about a few bucks on brake pads? Remember, one of the reasons your Porsche performs as well as it does, is because of how Porsche equipped it from the factory - tires, brakes, etc. Cant recall if they still are, but Mintex and Textar have been OEM pad makers previously.

Pads are extremely easy to replace. Dealers tend to gouge more on LABOR than parts, but then again, they are in business to make money afterall

[cerberus]

Originally Posted by racer_d

um.. For someone who bought/leased a $60K+ car, you're really worried about a few bucks on brake pads? Remember, one of the reasons your Porsche performs as well as it does, is because of how Porsche equipped it from the factory - tires, brakes, etc. Cant recall if they still are, but Mintex and Textar have been OEM pad makers previously.

Pads are extremely easy to replace. Dealers tend to gouge more on LABOR than parts, but then again, they are in business to make money afterall

I just want to get comparable performing pads to OEM at less than the typical dealer gouging price point. Never hurts to shop around and save a few bucks.

Are pads such as Hawk HPS equivalent to OEM or would my stopping power be reduced?

Thanks

[Bob O]

Based on your criteria, you should go with oem. You can pick them up lots of places on the net for less than the dealer charges. Change them yourself and go drive it. If you want less brake dust, then some others are better. If you want better grip, some others are better. You apparently don't desire either, so.. go with oem. The factory pads are very good, just very dusty. You might want to do some research in the archives here or on several other boards to get an idea of what other people say about various pads. Neither Mintex or Hawk would reduce your braking ability. Both offer at least equal grip to the oem pads.


Bob

[cerberus]

Originally Posted by Bob O

Based on your criteria, you should go with oem. You can pick them up lots of places on the net for less than the dealer charges. Change them yourself and go drive it. If you want less brake dust, then some others are better. If you want better grip, some others are better. You apparently don't desire either, so.. go with oem. The factory pads are very good, just very dusty. You might want to do some research in the archives here or on several other boards to get an idea of what other people say about various pads. Neither Mintex or Hawk would reduce your braking ability. Both offer at least equal grip to the oem pads.


Bob

Better grip would be a plus, but I don't want to throw off current brake bias, since I will keep the rear OEM pads. In addition, I want a pad that works well cold and does not require a lot of warming up. The pads I have been looking at were either the Hawk HPS, Axxis Deluxe and obviously OEM.

Are there any others you guys feel I should consider?

Thanks again

[ChrisZang]

I installed Hawk HPS about 6k miles ago, here are my observations:

Pros:
* WAY less dust than OEM
* ABSOLUTELY no noise/squealing
* Cheaper than OEM
* In normal street use no difference to OEM

Cons:
* no holes for the brake sensors (which I don't care about)
* I would not advise them for track use, I had fading after a few laps at Laguna Seca

Summary: I will/would buy them again. I will buy either Pagid Orange or BHP XPS for the track and run the Hawk purely on the street and Auto-X

[cerberus]

Originally Posted by ChrisZang

I installed Hawk HPS about 6k miles ago, here are my observations:

Pros:
* WAY less dust than OEM
* ABSOLUTELY no noise/squealing
* Cheaper than OEM
* In normal street use no difference to OEM

Cons:
* no holes for the brake sensors (which I don't care about)
* I would not advise them for track use, I had fading after a few laps at Laguna Seca

Summary: I will/would buy them again. I will buy either Pagid Orange or BHP XPS for the track and run the Hawk purely on the street and Auto-X

Thanks for the feedback Chris.

What is the drawback of not having hole for the brake sensor? Does this mean the sensor has to be disconnected? If so, would this trigger a dummy light in the dash?

Thanks again

[Bob O]

Chris is dead on about the Hawks. I also had a little fade at the track and switched to Pagid orange. Outstanding track pads.

No sensor holes......I just tied off the sensors by attaching them with zip ties to the brake line (I think? have to go look) and put electrical tape around the sensor end. No lights, no other effects. The sensors complete a circuit when they contact the rotor which turns on the dash light. If they're prevented from doing that, no light. If you replace the pads again, with sensor holes, simply remove the tape and zip ties and install them again.

Bob